Tweet
Janet Silvera, Hospitality Jamaica Coordinator
Though work began several months ago under the Negril Beach Rejuvenation study, it is still not clear how much progress has been made for this $6 million assessment.
In the last five years, the popular seven-mile beach has been experiencing dramatic rates of erosion. In response to this, the coastal engineering firm, Smith Warner and Company, was selected recently to conduct the proposed scientific study on the beach.
The project, which will take six months, is being funded by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica.
According to Daniel Grizzle, chairman of the Negril Beach Rejuvenation Committee, the Kingston-based engineering company has commenced preliminary work. "They are basically gathering all the information necessary for us to go forward," Grizzle said.
Environmentalists in the resort town have attributed the erosion of the beach to a combination of man-made and natural factors such as storm surges and the removal of sea-grass beds, which create 37 per cent of Negril's sand.
A one-year study of the problem by the Department of Geology and Geography, of the University of the West Indies (UWI), in collaboration with the Coastal Zone Unit of the National Resources Conservation Authority conducted between 1999 and 2000, also concluded that the northern section of the Long Bay Beach had been experiencing shoreline erosion.
misconceptions
The UWI report said that: "There are major misconceptions and assumptions about the nature of the beach system in Negril which may have serious implications for poor location of resources to manage the system."
The study, which was funded by the Coastal Water Improvement Project, revealed that at times, some areas of the beach fluctuate between 35 and 40 metres. It recommended that feasibility studies be undertaken to develop other alternatives to protecting the shoreline, including the cultivation of seagrass meadows, (which help to manufacture sand) and the removal of plant life, which were reported to be smothering Negril's deep reefs.
This new study is expected to recommend the nature of the resuscitation work to be done on the beach, after which the committee is expected to obtain a costing for the remedial work needed there. Grizzle said that the committee was anticipating obtaining funding from the Government of Jamaica as well as from international funding agencies, such as the United Nations Environment Programme's Caribbean Environment Programme.
The Beach Rejuvenation Committee consists of community members and interest groups including the Negril Chamber of Commerce, Negril Area Environment Protection Trust, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society.